Ooredoo, Telenor finally get Myanmar telecom licenses

Qatar’s Ooredoo and Norway’s Telenor can now begin rolling out their telecommunications networks in Myanmar as their licenses – after a long wait – have been formally awarded on January 30, local media reported.

Myanmar announced in June 2013 that Ooredoo and Telenor Group had won licenses after a hotly contested bidding process to develop networks in one of the world’s least connected countries. However, the procedure of formally awarding the licenses has been delayed since.

Telenor now signed the 15-year license agreement to build and operate a mobile phone network in Myanmar, and aims to launch voice and data services there within eight months, the company said on January 30. It will pay $500 million for the license and said peak funding costs, defined as the licence fee plus accumulated losses until it reaches operating cash flow break-even, is expected to be around $1 billion. The company expects cash break even after three years, it said.

Ooredoo declined comment so far. It said in an earlier statement that it would begin rolling out a network to cover Myanmar’s four biggest cities within six months and 97 per cent of the population in five years.

Qatar’s Ooredoo and Norway’s Telenor can now begin rolling out their telecommunications networks in Myanmar as their licenses – after a long wait – have been formally awarded on January 30, local media reported.

Myanmar announced in June 2013 that Ooredoo and Telenor Group had won licenses after a hotly contested bidding process to develop networks in one of the world’s least connected countries. However, the procedure of formally awarding the licenses has been delayed since.

Telenor now signed the 15-year license agreement to build and operate a mobile phone network in Myanmar, and aims to launch voice and data services there within eight months, the company said on January 30. It will pay $500 million for the license and said peak funding costs, defined as the licence fee plus accumulated losses until it reaches operating cash flow break-even, is expected to be around $1 billion. The company expects cash break even after three years, it said.

Ooredoo declined comment so far. It said in an earlier statement that it would begin rolling out a network to cover Myanmar’s four biggest cities within six months and 97 per cent of the population in five years.